Knit muffler.



No. 874,465. PATENTED' DEC. 24, 1907 J. H. WAY. KNIT MUFFLER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1907.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ZIYGZZ 3 PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

J. H. WAY. KNIT MUFFLER. APYPLIOATIONIILED mum 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES v,f/ we M "UNITED sTATEs JOHN HOWARD WAY, OF ST. DAVIDS, PENNSYLVNNIL PATENT OFFICE.

KNIT MUFFLER.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907. I

Application filed June 4. 1907. Serial No. 377.159.

Mufilers, whereof the fol owing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to knit mufflers of the general" type originally invented and patented by me .in United States Letters Patent No. 593,954, dated November 16th, 1897, and now generally known as Ways Muffler. In inufflers oi this type the entire ar; ticle is constructed of vertically-ribbed knit material, so as to possess great lateral elas ticity, and the entire garment is preferably formed integrally from a single piece of such knit fabric.

1 It is the object of my present invention to secure for the neck or collar portion oi sucha garment, a downward flare, to correspond with the configuration of the human neck and shoulders. This :l-"accomplish n'ithhut interfering with the tight lit and unfolded application of my mufller, and without in any wise-increasing the liability of the garmcnt to-adniit drafts at the sides of the neck, whichis a critical point of the constructionof a garment of this character.

In the accompanying drawings, have illustrated my improved muill'cr and the process of its manulacture.

Figural, illustrates the integral knit fabric as initially lmit from which my garment is made. 1 1g. ll, Icprosni'iis; the garment alter it has been out and its edges seamed. Fig. Ill, represents the completed garment lying flat. Fig. it, represents the garment as in place-upon the wearer.

The construction oi the garment-can best be miderstood by the description of its method of production.

The garment is formed oi a single integral .II \vcb fl, ol' vertically ribbed knit fabric. The ividth of thiswe'b corresponds to the desired width of the bib oi the garment. 'lhc knitting is commenced art the bottom 2, and proceeds continuously until the liu 3, is reached, where l. insert a single welt course. 'lhc 'knitting then proceeds, still oi the snmc width, until l rcach the line 4, whorev the. character of the knitting changes. 7 lush-ad of ordinary rib knitting, 1 here add a series of courses, say eight to twelve, of rack stitch, until the upper edge 5, is reached. it is a peculiarity rack stitching that it expands the knitting laterally very much more than the corresponding number of stitches of rib knitting. Accordingly, this edging of rack courses causes the entire upper portion of the garment and particularly the part which is to form the collar, to hell or flare outwar as'secn in Fig. l, at 6, 6. I then make pr'rti'al horizontal cuts 7, 7, one at each side to form the up'per edge of the bib, and to par.

tially separate it from the collar in order to permit its application to the body at the shoulders without puckering. The lower corners may be trii'nmed or rounded at 8, 8, and the fabric is ready for edging.

At lig.'ll, the same fabric is shown when the cuts hm 0 been made and the entire cdge olgthc Integral garment (except the upper" edge of rack-stitching) over stitchcd as mdicated'by the double line 9, S), extending from one upper corner to the other upper corner. The neck portion oi the garment is then folded along the line of the welt course 3, (whichhas a tendency to create a natural fold), so that it occupies the position shown in Fig. ill. it "will be observed that as a result of the flaring oftho collnl portion by the rack stitching the collar when loldcd and laid on takes the form of an annulus, whereas, the bib portion remains unalloctcd by this shaping of the collar. At both ends of the collar portion lacings ll), ll), are at tachcd, and upon them the fasteners ol" the garment, as for instance, ordinary ball and socket lashes-rs, are placed.

At the points marked i2, 12, short lines of radial stitching are made. These compel the collui portion to maintain its flat annular shape and its relation to the bib portion, without interfering in the least with its lateral elasticity, as would be done by any stitching which runs crosswise the bib.

'lhc garment is thus completed, and .Wlii'il the collar portion is fastened lit the back as shown in Fig. ll", which illustrates its posilion when placed upon the coin-or, possesses the advantages that nilhout l'olding or creasing, the collar portion maintains a downward lhuc rorrcspoiuling lo the downu'nrd enlargement ol' the neck, without intci'l'cring with the flatness of the bib and its capacity to be applied to tho-chest ol' the wearer nlul tucked under the cool, without any fullness or pui-kcring. This is particularly ndvnulugoous, i spoi-ially at the sides oi" thc nor-k, when: it is essential to have the garment lie flat in order to prevent the entrance of air under the collar.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A knit muffler having a body portion of laterally'elastic knit fabric, and a collar portion centrally united to the top of the body portion consisting of similar fabric folded over to form a collar, and edged by courses of rack stitch, whereby the collar portion is caused to flare, while tlie body portion remains flat.

2. A knit muffler having a body portion of laterally elastic knit fabric, and a-collar portion centrally united to the top of the body portion consisting" of similar fabric folded over to-form a collar and edged by courses of rack stitch, whereby the collar portion is tion with a welt course across the collar,

along which-the collar is folded, said collar portion being edged by courses of rack stitching whereby the collar portion is caused to flare, While the body portion remains flat.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Philadelphia Pennsyl- Vania this first day of June :7. I

JOHN vHOWVARD WAY.

. Witnesses:

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. FULLERTON. 

